RaotlBook  fop  Pastors 


Passion  Week  Self-Denial 

for 


ISSUED  BY 


Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
150  FIFTH  AVENUE,  NEW  YORK  CITY 


ERRATA 


PAGE  FOURTEEN. 

In  the  fourth  paragraph  the  figures  under  1915  include  23,239 
adherents.*  The  line  should  read: 

1915 — 21,151  members  and  probationers. 

PAGE  SIXTEEN. 

In  paragraph  three  the  figures  include  members  and  proba¬ 
tioners. 


*A  word  of  explanation:  The  term  “adherents”  as  used  in 
Korea  applies  only  to  persons  who  meet^the  following  conditions: 

1.  The  destruction  of  all  household  idols.  The  forsaking  of 

ancestral  worship. 

2.  Enrollment  as  a  “seeker.” 

3.  Membership  in  a  Bible  class. 

4.  Observance  of  family  prayers. 

5.  Assignment  to  special  oversight  of  a  class  leader. 

6.  The  pursuit  of  a  course  of  study  in  preparatory  catechism. 

After  a  year  as  adherents  they  are  admitted  to  probation  only 

upon  vote  of  the  Quarterly  Conference  and  must  pursue  another 
course  of  study  for  six  months  before  baptism. 

After  they  are  baptized  they  must  study  and  be  under  the 
observation  of  the  church  for  six  months  more  before  they  are 
admitted  to  full  membership. 

At  the  end  of  the  first  year  they  are  usually  further  ad¬ 
vanced  in  experience  and  the  knowledge  of  the  Bible  than  the 
average  probationer  in  America.  In  reality  they  are  probationers, 
although  technically  they  are  not  so  recognized  or  tabulated  in 
reports. 


Passion  Week  Self-Denial 

for 

New  World-Conditions 

APRIL  13-23,  1916 

In  Remembrance  of  Me 


ISSUED  BY 


Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
150  FIFTH  AVENUE,  NEW  YORK  CITY 


iMlfijuilull 


PREFACE 

BISHOP  FRANK  W.  WARNE 

I  HAVE  had  twenty-seven  years  of  pastoral 
experience  under  a  great  variety  of  circum¬ 
stances  and  know  a  pastor’s  burdens  and 
problems  and  also  his  powers  of  influence  and 
leadership.  Therefore,  I  know  that  the  suc¬ 
cess  of  the  Passion  Week  Self-Denial  in  your 
congregation  will  depend  upon  your  inspirational 
leadership.  To  more  easily  secure  the  co-opera¬ 
tion  of  our  people  and  uniformity  throughout 
the  Church,  we  are  sending  our  pastors  this 
Passion  Week  Self-Denial  Hand  Book. 

This  call  does  not  ask  for  an  extra  collec¬ 
tion  but  a  self-denial  offering.  If  that  be  taken 
according  to  some  of  our  suggested  plans,  or 
through  a  better  one  devised  by  you,  it  will  not 
interfere  with  your  regular  services,  nor  finances, 
nor  with  any  one  of  the  benevolences  of  our 
Church,  which  latter  would  defeat  our  purpose. 
On  the  other  hand,  we  believe  that  a  period  of 
real  self-denial  will  be  pleasing  to  God  and  be 
the  means  of  a  great  spiritual  uplift. 

Therefore  with  thanksgiving  for  national 
peace  and  prosperity,  while  other  Christian 
nations  are  bathed  in  blood  and  rendered  com¬ 
paratively  helpless  to  forward  the  greatest  move¬ 
ments  toward  Christianity  of  all  the  ages  from 
among  the  Christless  nations,  we  shall  trust 
you  to  lead  your  people  to  a  self-denial  worthy 
of  such  new  world-conditions  and  the  sacrifice 
of  our  Lord. 


ilia 


CHAPTER  I. 


HOW?  WHAT?  WHY? 

HOW  IT  HAPPENED 

Dr.  James  R.  Joy,  Editor  of  “ The  Christian  Ad¬ 
vocate •”  tells  this  story  of  the  meeting  of  the  General 
Committee  of  Foreign  Missions  in  Los  Angeles,  No¬ 
vember,  1915: 

THE  General  Committee  of  the  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions  was  near  the  close  of  its  second  day’s 
session  at  Los  Angeles  in  November,  1915.  The  Treas¬ 
urer  had  reported  no  increase  in  collections  and  the 
heartbreaking  needs  of  the  field.  It  was  the  usual  case 
of  “No  Thoroughfare!” 

Bishop  Warne,  of  India,  rose  and  addressed  the  body. 
He  said  that  he  had  long  been  possessed  by  a  thought 
which  he  felt  that  he  must  now  utter.  When  the 
workers  in  the  field  faced  a  crisis  like  this  they  were 
accustomed  to  meet  it  by  self-denial.  It  seemed  to  him 
that  if  the  Church  at  home  realized  the  emergency,  it 
would  deny  itself  in  order  that  the  work  might  not 
suffer. 

Bishop  Hartzell  of  Africa  sprang  to  his  feet  to  sec¬ 
ond  the  suggestion.  He  had  seen  the  native  workers 
from  the  African  villages  voluntarily  refuse  to  take 
their  pittance  of  salary  in  order  that  more  teachers  and 
preachers  might  be  put  into  the  Christless  villages. 
Mr.  J.  M.  Cornell,  of  New  York,  a  layman,  heartily 
favored  the  proposal  and  Dr.  Charles  E.  Welch,  of 
Westfield,  N.  Y.,  declared  that  the  time  had  come  for 
the  Church  to  give  more  largely.  “It  should  not  be 
left  to  the  missionaries,”  he  said,  “to  make  all  the 
self-denial.” 

The  idea  commended  itself  immediately.  Bishops, 
District  Members  and  Board  Representatives  hastened 
to  express  their  approval  and  to  suggest  ways  in  which 


3 


the  appeal  might  be  made  effective.  The  spontaneity 
and  accord  of  what  was  said  in  that  hour  made  it  evi¬ 
dent  that  the  Spirit  had  been  concentrating  many  minds 
upon  the  same  escape  from  the  difficulties  imposed  by 
success  in  the  field. 

That  is  how  self-denial  week  came  to  be. 

WHAT  HAPPENED 

rY^HIS  appeal  comes  from  your  brethren  and  servants 
who  compose  the  General  Committee  of  the  Board 
of  Foreign  Missions.  It  is  written  when  the  world  is 
tremulous  with  fear  and  hope ;  written  also  at  a  time 
when  the  United  States  is  most  signally  free  from  ad¬ 
versity  among  all  the  greater  of  the  world’s  nations. 
Our  fellow-Christians  in  other  Protestant  countries  are 
now  feeling  the  poverty  and  limitation  of  war.  In  re¬ 
spect  of  support  for  a  world-wide  work  for  Christ,  we 
that  are  strong  ought  to  bear  the  burdens,  not  only  of 
those  that  are  weak  in  the  sense  that  they  have  not  our 
faith,  but  also  of  those  that  are  weak  in  the  sense  that 
they  have  not  now  our  wealth.  God  invites  us  to  be 
the  bearers  of  a  double  burden. 

TT  is  our  conviction  also  that  there  must  now  be  utter 
collapse  of  merely  formal  religions  and  that  the 
demand  of  a  heart-broken  world,  plunged  into  its  sorrow 
by  the  evil  or  mistaken  wills  of  men,  will  be  for  a  Gospel 
that  promises  individual  regeneration  and  the  social  re¬ 
sponsibility  that  springs  therefrom.  God  now  gives  us 
a  solemn  and  hopeful  hour  for  a  thorough  Gospel  that 
offers  peace  on  earth  among  men  of  good  will.  It  is 
our  certain  faith  that  what  learning  and  science  and 
invention  and  material  wealth  have  failed  to  do,  our 
Lord  can  do  by  his  gracious  power  in  open  and  obedient 
hearts. 

E  summon  you  all  to  a  period  of  self-denial  ex- 
tending  from  April  13th  to  April  23rd,  1916, 
wherein  by  giving  up  all  luxuries  and  needless  pleasures 


4 


we  shall  save  for  God’s  special  work  as  represented  by 
Foreign  Missions  a  larger  share  of  the  gold  and  silver 
which  are  His  by  primal  and  ceaseless  right.  We  call 
you  to  this  period  of  self-denial  not  merely  that  we 
may  increase  the  Lord’s  treasury,  but  the  more  that 
we  may  all  have  outward  reminders  that  make  for 
thoughtful  devotion  and  earnest  prayer,  and  that  we 
may  share  somewhat  the  sorrows  and  privations  of  our 
stricken  brethren  in  other  lands. 

BUT  our  appeal  is  for  much  more  than  a  brief  period 
of  self-denial;  it  is  for  constant  faith  and  prayer 
and  generosity.  God  speaks  to  us  now  by  many  dis¬ 
tinct  voices:  by  the  voice  of  war  that  becomes  a  wail 
and  a  moan;  by  the  voice  of  an  institutional  and  cere¬ 
monial  religion  in  Italy,  Mexico,  France,  South  Amer¬ 
ica  and  elsewhere,  that  too  often  becomes  the  voice 
of  a  hopeless  atheism;  by  the  voice  of  an  amazing 
progress  in  Japan  and  China  and  Korea  and  Africa, 
which  becomes  a  clamor  for  guidance  in  the  paths  of 
God;  by  the  voice  of  weighty  Mass  Movements  in  India 
where  thousands  wait  eagerly  for  the  sacred  rite  of 
baptism;  by  the  voice  of  orphanhood  which  makes  ten¬ 
der  request  to  be  gathered  from  homes  destroyed  by 
war  into  the  care  of  spiritual  parenthood  under  the 
leadership  of  Christ;  by  the  voice  of  an  overworked 
missionary  force  that  covets  reinforcement  and  relief ; 
by  the  voice  of  trained  and  consecrated  youth  that  pleads 
to  go  if  only  we  will  send;  and  by  voices  that  speak 
to  us  from  open  doors  on  all  continents  and  islands. 
This  day  is  vocal  with  the  varied  calls  of  God;  and  He 
needs  now  a  listening  and  a  willing  Church. 

^T^HESE  words  of  appeal  are  not  given  to  you,  our 
Brethren  and  Sisters  in  American  Methodism,  be¬ 
cause  they  represent  an  annual  custom.  They  are  rather 
forced  from  our  hearts  by  the  pressure  of  a  critical 
world-period  and  by  the  most  solemn  and  glorious  op¬ 
portunity  that  has  ever  faced  the  Church.  The  nations 


5 


have  been  in  their  Gethsemane;  yea,  more,  some  of 
them  are  climbing  their  Calvary.  We  believe  that  we 
are  partners  with  God  in  bringing  them  to  their  Resur¬ 
rection.  We  summon  you  to  intercessory  prayer  and 
to  sacrificial  giving  in  the  faith  that  our  blessed  Lord 
with  his  saving  Gospel  is  alone  equal  to  meet  the  world’s 
darkness  with  light,  the  world’s  grief  with  consolation, 
the  world’s  sin  with  forgiveness  and  peace.  The  people 
of  earth  are  heavy-laden  with  ignorance  and  war  and 
iniquity ;  it  is  ours  to  bid  them  hear  and  obey  the  only 
One  who  is  able  to  say,  “Come  unto  me,  and  I  will 
give  you  rest.” 

WHY  IT  HAPPENED 

Three  compelling  reasons  urged  the  General  Com¬ 
mittee  on  Foreign  Missions  to  call  the  Church  to  Passion 
Week  Self -Denial,  April  13-23, 1916. 

CP  HE  deplorable  situation  we  confront  in  a  world 
-®-  where  horror  follows  horror  and  carnage  and  waste 
of  human  resources  are  so  wide  and  so  continuous  that 
we  are  in  danger  of  losing  all  keenness  of  sensibility 
and  moral  recoil,  and,  even  worse,  of  so  blunting  com¬ 
passion  that  we  fail  to  be  moved  to  the  utmost  endeavor 
to  heal  the  hurt  of  a  stricken  world. 

HP  HE  serious  crippling  of  all  European  Missions 
*■-  leaves  it  largely  to  America  with  her  unimpaired 
strength,  resources  and  prosperity  to  carry  on  the  evan¬ 
gelization  of  the  non-Christian  world.  For  the  Amer¬ 
ican  Church  at  such  a  time  as  this  to  fail  her  Lord 
is  unthinkable.  We  must  with  heroic  self-denial  enter 
into  fellowship  with  Christ  and  our  suffering  brethren 
of  Europe  and  go  to  the  relief  of  the  depleted  forces 
of  our  Lord  in  all  the  world. 

REAT  movements  in  China,  in  Korea,  in  India,  in 
Africa,  in  South  America,  and,  indeed,  in  all  our 
world-fields  have  for  years  been  held  back  for  lack  of 
equipment.  Oppressive  debts,  unbuilt  hospitals  and  mis- 


c 


sion  houses,  ill-equipped  schools  and  printing  plants 
have  everywhere  retarded  splendid  forward  movements. 
In  addition  to  the  stress  which  for  years  has  burdened 
the  missionaries,  crushing  pressure  is  now  being  exerted 
by  the  evangelistic  awakenings  which  are  bringing  tens 
of  thousands  of  converts  into  the  fold  of  the  Church. 
In  India,  for  illustration,  we  have  the  heart-breaking 
spectacle  of  more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
people  held  back  because  the  Church  is  not  ready  to 
receive  them. 

In  this  time  of  world  anguish  and  opportunity ,  when 
our  missionaries  are  undergoing  extraordinary  privation 
to  meet  the  emergencies  confronting  them ,  the  General 
Committee  was  confident  that  the  Church  would  eagerly 
respond,  through  greater  self-denial,  to  the  call  to  enter 
into  closer  fellowship  zvith  our  over-burdened  mission¬ 
aries  and  thus  interpret  to  the  world  in  terms  of  deep¬ 
ened  devotion  the  sacrificial  life  of  our  Lord. 

S.  EARL  TAYLOR, 

W.  F.  OLDHAM, 

FRANK  MASON  NORTH. 

WHAT  YOU  CAN  DO  ABOUT  IT 

The  New  Financial  Plan  and  Self-Denial .  The  Former 

Includes  the  Latter 

HP  HE  purpose  of  the  “New  Financial  Plan”  is  to 
systematize  and  spiritualize  church  finance  and  put 
under  it  an  adequate  educational  foundation.  Giving 
is  recognized  as  an  act  of  worship  in  which  every 
member  of  the  congregation  should  participate  each 
Sabbath.  Giving,  if  it  is  to  be  intelligent,  must  be  di¬ 
rected  by  a  mind  informed  by  frequent  illuminating 
statements  regarding  world  conditions. 

The  offering  on  a  weekly  basis  is  essential  to  the 
.spiritual  culture  of  the  individual,  meeting  the  need  for 
a  frequent  recognition  of  God’s  ownership  and  man’s 
stewardship,  that  the  soul  may  be  kept  cleansed  of 


7 


covetousness.  It  supplies  the  only  method  by  which 
a  large  majority  of  the  people  can  make  an  adequate 
offering  for  the  maintenance  of  the  Church  and  its 
world-wide  work. 

The  plan  as  adopted  by  the  General  Conference 
and  expressed  in  the  Discipline  (par.  70,  pages  58,  59) 
and  in  the  literature  of  the  Commission  on  Finance 
(Manual,  page  14),  recognizes  that  all  cannot  fully 
meet  their  obligations  to  the  Church  through  the 
Weekly  Offering  and  advocates  additional  opportuni¬ 
ties  for  the  expression  of  the  benevolent  impulse 
through  special  thank  offerings. 

While  the  New  Financial  Plan  was  adopted  to  pro¬ 
tect  the  Church  from  outside  non-official,  irresponsible 
appeals,  it  was  at  the  same  time  accepted  as  a  means 
of  educating  the  Church  to  meet  emergencies  de¬ 
manding  Church-wide  and  prompt  co-operation.  The 
San  Francisco  disaster  is  still  fresh  in  memory.  Swift 
and  generous  action  was  required.  Any  system  pre¬ 
venting  such  response  would  have  been  a  positive  and 
serious  injury  to  the  Church. 

It  is  equally  true  that  in  the  midst  of  great  Mass 
Movements  throughout  the  world,  simultaneously  with 
the  wreckage  wrought  by  a  colossal  war,  no  standard 
of  giving  attained  by  the  Church  has  adequately  pro¬ 
vided  for  the  minimum  needs  of  its  missionary  work. 

Present  conditions  demand  supplementary  contribu¬ 
tions  and  impose  upon  the  followers  of  Christ  the  ob¬ 
ligation  of  Self-Denial :  First,  an  emergent  need  for 
which  no  provision  can  otherwise  be  made.  Second, 
an  unparalleled  material  prosperity  full  of  peril  to  the 
Church. 

The  greatest  revival  movement  of  modern  times  is 
penetrating  to  the  remotest  corners  of  the  earth.  It  is 
not  a  provincial  but  a  world  task  that  faces  us.  This 
is  primarily  an  American  responsibility.  The  pride  of 
Europe’s  manhood  lies  bleeding  on  battlefields.  The 
homes  of  millions  have  been  darkened  with  sorrow. 
Multitudes  are  homeless  and  destitute.  The  suffering, 


8 


bankrupt  nations  of  Europe  will  be  relatively  helpless 
for  years  to  come.  America  must  be  the  world’s 
Good  Samaritan.  The  call  is  to  the  service  of  sacrifice. 

America  has  been  given  unparalleled  prosperity. 
The  earth  has  yielded  bountiful  increase.  Cattle  and 
crops  alone  reach  the  staggering  sum  of  ten  billion 
dollars.  What  shall  be  said  to  the  soul  of  the  nation 
in  the  midst  of  this  material  increase? 

On  December  21,  1915,  thousands  of  Jews  of  New 
York  City  assembled  in  Carnegie  Hall  to  provide  means 
of  relief  for  distressed  Hebrews  in  Europe.  In  one 
evening  nearly  a  million  dollars  was  contributed. 
Money,  checks,  pledges  and  jewelry  were  piled  about 
the  feet  of  the  speaker  on  the  platform.  The  American 
Jewish  Relief  Committee  is  undertaking  to  raise 
$5,000,000  for  the  aid  of  their  race  in  war-stricken 
Europe. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  is  confronted  with 
a  high  privilege.  The  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  last 
year  faced  an  emergency  requiring  $400,000  above  its 
regular  income.  The  appeal  was  made  for  one  day’s 
income,  or  its  equivalent  in  self-denial.  The  Church 
reports:  “We  have  never  met  such  enthusiasm  in  any 
appeal  as  this  one  evoked.  We  have  yet  to  hear  of 
a  Parish  that  does  not  feel  thankful  for  it.”  The  Church 
responded  with  an  offering  of  $431,000. 

Ours  is  a  greater  family,  and  ours  is  a  greater 
obligation.  A  week  of  self-denial,  chivalrously  ob¬ 
served,  would  bring  great  blessing.  The  Church  would 
share  in  meeting  the  most  extraordinary  situation  that 
has  ever  confronted  the  world.  Such  denial  would  im¬ 
prove  the  Church’s  ability  to  meet  its  regular  budgets 
by  touching  the  deeper  springs  of  benevolence. 

The  possible  revelation  of  a  simpler,  less  expensive 
and  more  wholesome  mode  of  living  would  show  that 
all  the  enterprises  of  the  Church  might  be  easily  fin¬ 
anced  while  at  the  same  time  the  individual  Christian 
would  enter  into  closer  fellowship  with  Christ  in  sac¬ 
rifice  and  service. 


9 


CHAPTER  II. 

NEW  WORLD-CONDITIONS 


( NOTE — These  statements  and  restatements 
are  exclusively  for  use  of  pastors  and  will  not 
be  published  in  other  form  until  after  Easter .) 

A  WORLD  CHURCH  IN  THE  MIDST  OF 
WORLD  MOVEMENTS 


T  ESS  than  one-half  the  population  of  the  world  has 
'  thus  far  heard  the  Gospel. 

A  MERICAN  churches  have  sent  out  10,000  Prot- 
estant  missionaries,  one  for  every  2,400  of  their 
present  membership.  We  ought  to  have  25,000  mis¬ 
sionaries,  approximately  one  for  every  1,000  members. 


rTrHE  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  spends  more  money 
annually  on  its  work  in  the  United  States  than  all 
Christendom  contributes  to  foreign  missions. 


TT  is  estimated  that  Europe  is  spending  for  war 
-®-  $80,000,000  a  day,  an  amount  sufficient  to  put  the 
foreign  missionary  enterprise  on  an  adequate  basis 
and  maintain  it  for  a  year.  A  year  of  the  war  would 
maintain  this  redemptive  world-enterprise  for  365  years. 

rFvHE  Christian  propaganda  requires  larger  total  in- 
vestment  in  the  homeland  than  in  the  foreign  field; 
but  should  it  be  in  the  following  proportion?  One 
annual  conference  in  Illinois  (there  are  four  in  the 
State)  has  more  money  by  several  millions  of  dollars 
invested  within  its  boundaries  in  permanent  institutions 
(churches,  parsonages,  schools,  hospitals,  homes,  etc.) 
than  the  entire  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  has  in¬ 
vested  in  all  the  world  outside  of  the  United  States 
(Mexico,  South  America,  Europe,  Africa,  India,  Ma¬ 
laysia,  Philippines,  China,  Japan,  and  Korea).  On  a 
capital  so  small  we  are  trying  to  do  a  world  business ! 


T^ROM  the  beginning  there  have  been  wars,  but  never 
in  the  history  of  the  human  race  a  conflict  of  such 


10 


colossal,  unimaginable  proportions  as  the  present  Eu¬ 
ropean  war.  This  constitutes  an  emergency  unparal¬ 
leled  since  the  world  began. 

NEVER  since  Christ  was  on  earth  has  there  been  in 
pagan  lands  a  movement  of  such  vast  masses  of 
people  to  Christ  as  today.  This  constitutes  an  emer¬ 
gency  unparalleled  in  all  the  Christian  centuries. 

'T'HE  increase  in  the  wealth  of  our  country  surpasses 
-®-  all  previous  records.  This  fact,  confronting  the 
facts  above  recorded,  places  Christian  America  in  a 
place  of  opportunity  unparalleled  in  the  Christian  Era. 


THE  LARGEST  CONTINENT 


\  SIA  is  larger  than  Africa  by  an  area  equal  to  all 
of  the  United  States  and  its  possessions  and  all 
of  Europe  west  of  Russia. 

TTS  population  is  sufficient  to  repopulate  all  Europe, 
Africa,  North  and  South  America  and  still  retain 
for  a  new  start  in  Asia  as  many  people  as  now  live  in 
South  America  and  Australia. 

TTS  people  are  cleft  into  many  races  which  speak  hun- 
dreds  of  languages.  Most  of  its  millions  are  unable 
to  read  or  write  and  live  in  a  poverty  verging  on  peril 
of  famine.  Its  social  customs  and  race  prejudices 
multiply  the  difficulties  of  approach.  Its  religions  are 
inextricably  interwoven  with  dreadful  superstitions  and 
gross  immoralities. 

A  SIA  confronts  Christendom  with  the  most  startling 
challenge  of  the  Christian  centuries. 

‘Y/’ET  so  great  are  the  changes  taking  place  and  the 
-*•  victories  being  won  by  the  Gospel  in  Asia  that  over 
that  vast  continent  might  well  be  written : 

“The  rudiments  of  empire  here 
Are  plastic  yet  and  warm. 

The  chaos  of  a  mighty  world 
Is  rounding  into  form.” 


11 


THE  AWAKENING  NATION  OF  THE 

ORIENT 


rTvHE  very  name,  China,  conjures  up  thoughts  requir- 
ing  large  terms  for  expression. 

Vast  Area:  It  exceeds  the  United  States  and  terri¬ 
tories  by  an  area  larger  than  the  German  Empire,  Eng¬ 
land,  Belgium  and  Montenegro. 

Limitless  Natural  Resources :  Siberia  to  India,  Pa¬ 
cific  to  Himalayas — what  ranges  of  soil  and  climate ! 
What  agricultural  wealth  !  Mineral  resources,  for  ages 
untouched,  are  now  being  developed.  Coal,  iron,  and 
copper  exist  in  almost  inexhaustible  supplies. 

Multitudinous  Population:  More  than  one-fourth 
the  human  race.  Equal  to  the  population  of  North  and 
South  America,  Africa,  Great  Britain,  and  Germany. 
743  walled  cities.  450,000  villages  and  towns.  Sze¬ 
chuan  Province,  smaller  than  Texas,  contains  twice  the 
population  of  the  states  west  of  the  Mississippi. 

Great  Potential  Possibilities:  A  virile  people  who 
thrive  in  the  Arctics  like  the  Esquimaux  or  in  the 
Tropics  like  the  Malay.  In  business  ability  superior  to 
the  Jew.  The  “Potato  King”  of  our  Pacific  Coast  is 
a  Chinaman.  Capable  of  high  intellectual  development. 
They  are  crowding  our  mission  schools,  eager  for 
learning.  Many  honor  students  in  our  great  American 
Universities  are  Chinese. 

Under  the  power  of  the  Gospel  they  reveal  the  high¬ 
est  moral  and  spiritual  qualities.  They  gladly  sacrifice 
position,  money,  even  life  itself  for  Christ.  Thousands 
have  done  this. 


A  Belated  Nation:  Deep  is  the  tragedy  of  China’s 
backwardness.  “Familiar  with  the  mariner’s  compass, 
gunpowder,  and  printing  from  blocks  ages  before  they 
were  used  in  the  West,”  the  Chinese  illustrate  arrested 
development,  resulting  in  squandered  or  neglected  re¬ 
sources  and  deep,  abysmal  poverty.  Read  “A  Message 
to  You”  in  the  self-denial  envelope. 


12 


Filth,  sickness,  suffering  unimaginable,  due  to  utter 
ignorance  of  sanitation,  hygiene  and  medicine,  afflict 
millions. 

Superstitions  and  customs  which  fill  their  lives  with 
fear  and  suffering  have  held  China’s  millions  in  spirit¬ 
ual  and  physical  bondage.  There  are  still  70,000,000 
Chinese  women  with  bound  feet. 

There  are  more  Mohammedans  in  China  than  in 
Persia  or  Arabia.  They  are  open  to  the  Gospel  in  a 
most  remarkable  manner. 

The  New  Day :  China  suddenly  faces  the  bewilder¬ 
ing  confusion  of  modern  life  and  civilization.  Every¬ 
thing  is  changing — government,  schools,  industries, 
social  standards,  religion.  The  perils  incident  to  such 
changes  are  threatening.  Opening  mines,  building  steel 
plants,  constructing  railroads,  establishing  factories — 
these  activities  indicate  the  changes  and  suggest  the 
new  industrial  and  social  perils. 

Robert  Speer  says  that  in  Shanghai  30,000  women 
and  children  work  in  factories  and  that  girls  of  eight 
and  nine  years  work  on  night  shifts  of  twelve  hours. 

Educationally :  The  situation  is  pathetic.  Struggling 
to  adjust  herself  to  the  present  and  provide  for  the 
future  by  modernizing  her  educational  system,  China 
lacks  both  money  and  trained  men  to  teach  her  sixty 
million  children. 

Religiously :  China  is  open  to  the  Gospel.  It  re¬ 
quired  over  fifty  years  to  win  the  first  thousand  con¬ 
verts  in  China.  Recently  a  larger  number  than  this  were 
enrolled  as  inquirers  during  a  single  night  in  one  city. 

Great  areas  still  remain  untouched.  A  group  of  mis¬ 
sionaries  recently  traveled  580  miles  through  a  province 
without  finding  a  chapel  or  a  Christian  witness. 

Opportunity :  Here  are  1,000,000  teachers  to  be 
trained,  60,000,000  children  to  be  taught,  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  villages  and  cities  to  be  made  clean  and 
wholesome  through  sanitation,  430,000,000  people  to  be 
evangelized  and  won  to  Christ. 


13 


THE  PALESTINE  OF  THE  FAR  EAST 

TN  Korea  two  out  of  three  babies  die.  At  least  half 
-■■of  them  might  be  saved  by  medical  knowledge  and 
skill. 

There  are  as  many  physicians  in  Kansas  City  (popu¬ 
lation  325,000)  as  in  Korea  with  its  14,000,000  people, 
counting  missionary,  Japanese,  and  Korean  doctors. 

The  Methodist  Church,  having  exclusive  missionary 
responsibility  for  3,000,000  Koreans,  has  only  one  mis¬ 
sionary  for  each  60,000  of  this  population. 

Thirty  wonderful  years: 

1885 — First  Methodist  missionary  sent  to  Korea. 

1895 — 410  members  and  probationers. 

1905 — 7,796  members  and  probationers. 

1915 — 44,390  members  and  probationers. 

Last  year  our  church  witnessed  the  largest  number 
of  revivals  which  it  has  seen  in  that  Land  of  Revival. 
In  Seoul,  during  a  union  campaign  of  fifty  days,  265 
Japanese  and  11,318  Koreans  expressed  a  desire  to  be¬ 
come  Christians. 

Koreans  make  splendid  scholars.  At  a  recent  meet¬ 
ing  in  Seoul  four  Koreans  wearing  Phi  Beta  Kappa 
keys  sat  on  the  platform.  Yale,  Harvard,  and  Princeton 
were  represented. 

4,600  boys,  3,100  girls  in  Methodist  day  schools. 

20,000  children  in  all  Christian  schools. 

30,000  Christian  children  unprovided  for. 

Pyengyang  was  the  worst  city  in  Korea.  Twenty 
years  ago  it  had  seven  baptized  Christians.  Today  it 
has  33,000. 

Lack  of  resources  in  the  Methodist  Mission  now 
compels  a  cut  of  50  per  cent,  in  the  expenditures  for 
day  schools  and  the  sending  home  of  two  missionaries 
and  their  families. 

And  yet  there  are  Methodist  Churches  in  America 
whose  local  expenditures  are  larger  than  the  appropria¬ 
tion  of  our  Board  to  the  entire  work  in  Korea. 


14 


THE  EFFICIENCY  EXPONENT  OF  THE 

ORIENT 

T  APAN’S  new  god  is  efficiency.  She  has  5,000  miles 
^  of  railroad — a  great  change  from  the  “man-pull” 
car  (the  rickshaw)  to  the  “Pullman”  car.  Turning 
her  back  on  the  past,  Japan  adopted  what  would  add  to 
efficiency  in  every  department  of  national  life — except 
religion. 

The  Christian  Church  missed  its  opportunity.  Intel¬ 
lectual  Japan  became  agnostic.  For  years  Herbert 
Spencer  was  the  favorite  author.  The  people  continued 
pagan.  “Will  the  Japanese  people  ever  respond  to  the 
spiritual  message  of  the  Gospel?”  was  asked  skep¬ 
tically. 

Eighty  per  cent  of  Japan’s  population  are  unreached. 
There  is  only  one  missionary  for  126,000  people. 

But  note  the  miraculous  change.  Robert  Speer  says : 
“Eighteen  years  ago  the  temper  of  the  nation  was  dis¬ 
tinctly  anti-Christian.  Now  great  congregations  come 
to  hear  the  preaching.  The  nation  openly  confesses 
its  need  of  religion.  Mr.  Mori  Mura,  the  millionaire 
business  man  from  Tokyo,  travels  throughout  the 
length  and  breadth  of  the  land  telling  young  business 
men  that  the  nation’s  moral  need  can  only  be  met  by 
faith  in  God.” 

The  Protestant  missionaries  engaged  in  a  three  years’ 
union  evangelistic  campaign,  call  for  474  new  mission¬ 
aries.  God  gives  His  Church  another  opportunity. 
Japan  is  receptive  to  the  Gospel  as  never  before. 

A  Japanese  gentleman,  a  man  over  78  years  of  age, 
has  recently  accepted  Christ.  He  at  once  contributed 
$100,000  for  the  improvement  of  the  moral  conditions 
of  Japan  and  now  goes  about  exhorting  men  to  turn 
to  Christ. 

At  the  Methodist  Boys’  School  in  Nagasaki  last  year 
out  of  a  graduating  class  of  forty-three,  thirty-seven 
went  forth  professing  Christians,  practically  all  con¬ 
verted  in  the  school. 


15 


AMERICA’S  WARD  IN  THE  FAR  EAST 

'Cj'  OR  centuries  kept  in  ignorance  and  dependence 
on  superior  authority,  the  people  of  the  Philippines 
lack  initiative  and  power  of  sustained  effort.  They 
greatly  need  continued  impulses  from  without,  if  they 
are  to  move  forward. 

All  through  northern  Luzon  are  the  ruins  of 
cathedral-like  Roman  Churches,  destroyed  by  the  In- 
surrectos  before  the  American  occupation.  Two  mil¬ 
lion  people  broke  away  from  the  Roman  Church  be¬ 
cause  of  their  hatred  of  the  Friars.  Protestantism 
is  not  in  the  Philippines  to  proselyte,  but  to  meet  the 
needs  of  these  multitudes  without  religious  instruction. 

We  began  work  in  the  islands  sixteen  years  ago.  To¬ 
day  our  membership  is  35,000. 

One  preacher  last  year  received  $7.50  monthly  from 
us.  He  organized  five  churches,  built  one  chapel,  and 
received  160  members  into  the  church. 

Eight  hundred  congregations  need  chapels  costing 
from  fifty  to  one  hundred  dollars  each. 

In  Tangos,  one  of  the  worst  places  in  the  islands,  a 
missionary  preached  on  the  street.  Later  a  woman  in 
America  gave  $100  to  build  a  chapel  in  memory  of  her 
husband  who  had  been  a  Methodist  preacher.  Results — 
a  beautiful,  self-supporting  church  with  nearly  1,000 
members  and  a  transformed  town.  Three  preachers 
and  six  deaconesses  have  come  from  this  church. 

Dormitories  are  needed  at  all  the  provincial  capitals 
for  high  school  students  and  in  Manila  enlarged  ones 
for  university  and  normal  students.  These  dormitories 
are  self-supporting  as  soon  as  erected  and  are  great 
evangelistic  centers.  Three-fourths  of  the  students  in 
the  Manila  dormitory  have  been  led  to  Christ.  Hun¬ 
dreds  of  applications  for  rooms  had  to  be  refused. 

A  normal  school  student  in  our  Girls’  Dormitory 
went  home  to  teach.  Within  a  year  she  started  a  move¬ 
ment  that  resulted  in  an  organized  church  with  over 
500  members. 


16 


THE  MELTING  POT  OF  ASIA 


HP  HE  ends  of  the  earth  meet  in  Singapore.  From 
thirty  to  fifty  languages  are  spoken  in  our  Methodist 
schools.  Malaysia  is  literally  the  “Melting  Pot”  of 
Asia. 

Malaysia  is  developing  in  a  wonderful  way.  Millions 
of  rubber  trees  are  just  beginning  to  produce.  Three- 
fourths  of  the  world’s  supply  of  tin  is  mined  there. 
Roads  are  being  extended  in  all  directions.  One  of 
the  best  constructed  railroads  in  the  world  is  in  opera¬ 
tion  between  Singapore  and  Penang. 

One  missionary  writes,  “My  territory  covers  all  of 
Java,  Sumatra,  West  Borneo  and  Banka,  an  area  the 
size  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois  and  Michigan.” 

The  Rajah  of  Sarawak,  Borneo,  has  given  us  250 
acres  of  land  and  an  annual  grant  of  $500  for  our 
industrial  school  at  Sibu.  A  revival  has  broken  out 
there,  one  feature  of  which  is  a  pledge  to  abstain  from 
gambling,  opium,  liquor  and  tobacco.  Many  people 
have  confessed  their  sins. 

Methodism  is  supplying  missionary  teachers  to  the 
Chinese  Reform  Association  of  Malaysia.  These  men 
are  developing  numerous  churches  alongside  of  their 
schools. 

Java  needs  five  new  hospitals  with  doctors  and  nurses. 
They  would  be  self-supporting  within  five  years. 

Sumatra,  with  its  wild  Battaks,  half-civilized  Malays 
and  thousands  of  Chinese,  begs  for  Methodist  mission¬ 
aries. 

Hundreds  of  thousands  of  Indians  in  Malaysia, 
gathered  in  rubber  ranches  and  tin  mines,  call  for 
earnest  pastoral  attention. 

More  Moslems  have  been  baptized  by  us  in  the  Far 
East  in  the  past  ten  years  than  the  total  for  the  Near 
East  and  Africa  combined. 

With  outstanding  opportunity  and  very  high  prestige 
this  Mission,  undermanned  and  all  too  feebly  financed, 
needs  strong  reinforcement. 


17 


THE  HEART  OF  ASIA 

BISHOP  WARNE  calls  India  “The  Throbbing  Heart 
of  Asia.”  Doctor  Oldham  calls  it  “The  Land  of 
the  Breaking  Heart.”  Intensely  religious,  with  more 
gods  than  people,  it  is  one  of  the  saddest  countries  on 
earth. 

Three  times  the  population  of  the  United  States  live 
in  India’s  700,000  villages,  in  half  the  area  of  the 
United  States. 

Twenty-six  million  widows,  of  whom  115,285  are 
less  than  ten  years  old,  are  family  slaves  and  can  never 
hope  for  any  other  life.  India  has  2,273,245  wives 
under  ten  years  of  age.  Less  than  one  in  one  hundred 
and  fifty  women  can  read. 

At  one  Hindu  festival  there  was  an  attendance  of 
four  millions.  Masses  move  in  India.  Shall  they  move 
towards  Hinduism,  Mohammedanism  or  Christianity? 
It  is  for  the  Christian  Church  to  say. 

A  recent  cable  from  India  gives  figures  for  the  past 
quadrennium  and  calls  for  reinforcements  for  the 
Woman’s  Society  and  our  Board. 

Jubbulpore,  Jan.  27,  1916. 
Missions,  New  York. 

Hundred  forty  thousand  baptized.  Hundred 
sixty  thousand  waiting.  Fifty  new  mission¬ 
aries  with  support  needed  by  each  Board. 

Robinson. 

After  many  years  in  India  Bishop  Warne  expresses 
the  conviction  that  we  could  add  two  million  converts 
in  the  near  future  in  India  if  we  would  adequately 
equip  our  mission  for  its  opportunity. 

Caste,  so  long  the  greatest  obstacle  to  Missions  in 
India,  through  the  blessing  of  God  is  now  helping  to 
advance  the  Kingdom.  Mass  movements  proceed  along 
caste  lines.  When  a  movement  starts  in  a  caste,  the 
very  organization  which  so  effectually  hindered  Chris¬ 
tianity  is  most  effectual  in  propagating  it  throughout 
the  caste. 


18 


In  the  Meerut  District  the  entire  Sweeper  caste, 
approximating  100,000  persons  is  practically  ready  for 
baptism.  The  Chamar  caste,  numbering  11,000,000, 
could  be  baptized  as  rapidly  as  the  fundamental  Chris¬ 
tian  doctrines  could  be  explained  to  the  people  who 
are  already  strongly  inclined  to  Christianity.  In  this 
district  alone  approximately  1,000,000  persons  are  ac¬ 
cessible  to  the  Methodist  Church  to-day. 

Native  leaders  offer  themselves  by  the  hundreds  but 
we  have  not  even  enough  missionaries  to  prepare  them 
to  lead  their  brothers,  or  money  enough  to  pay  their 
pitifully  small  salaries  of  $50  a  year,  each. 

In  the  Delhi  District  10,000  people  are  being  held 
back  because  of  the  lack  of  $1,000  per  year  to  support 
ten  workers  required  for  the  necessary  advance. 

Missionaries  in  India  daily  face  severest  tests  of  en¬ 
durance  and  heroism :  a  tropical  climate  the  enervating 
power  of  which  we  cannot  conceive;  awful  diseases 
such  as  enteric  fever,  tropical  dysentery,  black  smallpox, 
cholera  and  bubonic  plague ;  most  of  all  the  fearful 
burdens  of  overwork  due  to  overwhelming  success  and 
lack  of  reinforcements.  Every  man  bears  the  burden 
of  two  to  four  men. 

Although  the  average  daily  income  of  a  family  in 
India  is  less  than  three  cents  per  member,  our  Chris¬ 
tians  are  rapidly  assuming  the  full  support  of  their 
pastors.  Tithing  is  common  among  Indian  preachers 
and  is  spreading  among  the  people  even  in  their  pov¬ 
erty. 

Bishop  Warne  says:  “Recently  I  was  in  a  meeting 
of  India  preachers.  One  a  short  time  before  had  been 
beaten  to  unconsciousness,  but  won  his  enemies  by 
forgiving  them  and  refusing  to  go  to  court.  Another 
still  had  a  disabled  arm.  I  asked  how  many  present 
had  been  beaten  in  persecution.  Seventeen  raised  their 
hands.  I  felt  ashamed  in  their  presence.  I  have  never 
suffered  persecution.  There  is  yet  a  great  book  to  be 
written  on  the  toil,  persecutions,  privations,  poverty 
and  suffering  of  our  beloved  Indian  ministers.” 


19 


THE  CONTINENT  OF  FEARS 


A  FRICA  is  the  continent  of  fears.  Hearing  the 
word  “Africa”  one  instinctively  runs  back  over 
generations  of  witchcraft,  cannibalism,  poverty,  filth, 
disease,  superstition,  theft,  murder,  plundering  bands  of 
Mohammedans  and  so-called  Christian  slave  traders. 
Livingstone  called  Africa  “the  open  sore  of  the  world.” 

Africa  presents  one  of  the  saddest,  darkest  pictures 
ever  hung  before  the  nations — a  draped  and  shadowed 
continent. 

There  is  room  in  Africa  for  India,  China,  the  United 
States  and  all  Europe. 

Christian  missionaries  have  pioneered  the  way  into 
its  darkest  regions.  Limitless  supplies  of  gold,  silver, 
copper,  iron,  coal,  precious  stones,  and  forest  wealth 
have  attracted  the  fortune  hunters. 

The  lure  of  trade  and  of  dominion  has  incited  the 
great  nations  of  Europe,  until  to-day  over  ninety-six 
per  cent,  of  Africa  is  controlled  by  European  powers, 
most  of  it  by  the  nations  now  at  war. 

Great  sections  of  Africa  are  being  rapidly  developed. 
Mines  are  being  opened,  railroads  built,  forests  felled 
and  wide  areas  brought  under  cultivation.  Such  ma¬ 
terial  progress  always  involves  great  moral  and  social 
perils.  A  large  part  of  Africa  is  today  facing  all  these 
frontier  perils  and  is  in  desperate  need  of  the  Gospel. 
In  considerable  portions  law  and  order  prevail  and 
churches  are  established.  But  vast  areas  are  still  un¬ 
occupied  by  any  church. 

Imagine  our  population  east  of  the  Mississippi  River 
scattered  over  a  territory  nearly  twice  as  great,  without 
one  preacher,  church,  or  Gospel  influence  of  any  kind 
among  its  70,000,000  people.  That  represents  the  areas 
in  Africa  unclaimed  and  unoccupied  by  the  Christian 
Church,  but  rapidly  being  invaded  by  Islam. 


20 


Every  third  person  in  Africa  is  a  Mohammedan. 
Nor  are  they  confined  to  North  Africa.  There  are 
4,000,000  of  them  south  of  the  Equator,  every  one  a 
missionary  of  Islam.  Unless  a  wall  of  Christian  mis¬ 
sions  is  built  across  Africa  to  check  this  southward 
thrust  of  Mohammedanism,  in  a  few  years  millions 
will  be  won  to  the  false  prophet  and  made  more  in¬ 
accessible  to  the  Gospel.  This  constitutes  the  out¬ 
standing  menace  to  Africa. 

Africa  is  suffering  bitterly  because  of  the  great 
war.  Shipping  is  paralyzed,  business  prostrate  and  cost 
of  living  greatly  increased.  Large  territories  have  been 
involved  in  actual  war.  Other  parts  of  the  continent 
are  armed  camps.  Much  of  the  missionary  activity 
has  been  seriously  crippled. 

The  missions  of  our  church  occupy  seven  strategic 
centers  under  British,  French,  Portuguese,  Liberian 
and  Belgian  flags. 

At  one  conference  Bishop  Hartzell  recently  appointed 
130  native  young  men  and  their  wives  to  stations  scat¬ 
tered  over  a  wide  area,  where  we  have  a  membership 
in  church,  Sunday  and  day  schools  of  about  5,000.  A 
few  years  ago  we  had  no  work  in  this  section  and 
with  two  or  three  exceptions  all  these  native  workers 
were  in  barbaric  heathenism. 

The  Methodist  Church  has  only  one  hospital  in  the 
whole  of  Africa.  It  is  not  much  to  brag  of.  There 
is  no  chimney,  no  window,  no  floor,  except  the  earth, 
no  beds,  no  mattresses  or  bed  covers,  no  furniture  at 
all.  It  is  just  a  native  grass  hut  that  accommodates 
fifteen  patients  laid  out  on  the  ground.  The  rest  of 
them  sleep  out  of  doors. 

The  call  of  God  is  definite  and  urgent  for  an  im¬ 
mediate  and  large  advance  in  mission  work  in  Africa. 
Only  thus  can  Christendom  stay  the  advance  of  Mo¬ 
hammedanism. 


21 


THE  STRICKEN  CONTINENT 

¥  T  staggers  the  imagination  to  conceive  of  the  mag- 
nitude  of  the  European  war  which  has  involved 
three  continents  and  swept  over  all  seas.  Dr.  John  R. 
Mott  at  the  recent  Foreign  Missions  Conference  made 
the  following  statements : 

In  no  previous  war  have  more  than  2,000,000  men 
faced  each  other. 

Today  24,000,000  men  and  boys  are  engaged  in  the 
war. 

2,400,000  have  already  been  slain. 

5,000,000  men  and  boys  are  on  beds  of  pain. 

4,200,000  are  in  military  prisons. 

1,200,000  Russians  are  in  German  prisons  which  are 
open  to  the  Christian  work  represented  by  Dr.  Mott’s 
splendid  organization. 

43,000  German  sudents  are  in  the  trenches. 

In  the  Latin  Quarter  in  Paris  there  are  usually  18,000 
students.  Dr.  Mott  found  but  four  or  five  left  there 
and  had  to  depend  on  women  students  to  take  up  the 
work  of  reaching  students  in  the  trenches. 

DISPATCHES  FROM  THE  FRONT 

France :  One  of  the  most  famous  and  militant  of  the 
French  infidels  has  “right  about  faced.”  He  declares 
that  this  world  cataclysm  is  carrying  away  everything 
false.  “Nothing  remains  but  Truth  and  Faith.”  This 
incident  is  only  one  of  thousands  indicating  a  pro¬ 
nounced  European-wide  movement  “Back  to  God.” 
Many  are  prophesying  that  a  spiritual  awakening  has 
begun  in  Europe  which  will  surpass  the  revival  in  Eng¬ 
land  in  the  eighteenth  century  led  by  the  Wesleys. 

Russian  Methodist  Conference :  “Two  brethren  were 
missing,  one  having  fallen  as  a  brave  Russian  officer 
in  Galicia,  the  other  being  a  prisoner  of  war  somewhere 
in  the  South.  The  many  heart-touching  incidents,  most 
remarkable  providential  leadings  and  signal  victories 
of  divine  grace  which  our  preachers  related  moved 
us  all  to  tears  and  praise.  We  are  bearing  one  another’s 


22 


burdens,  engaging  in  relief  work,  nursing  the  wounded, 
scattering  thousands  of  Gospels  and  Testaments.” 
“Everywhere,  especially  among  the  wounded  soldiers, 
there  is  a  great  hunger  for  the  Scriptures.” 

North  Germany :  “In  no  time  has  there  been  a  greater 
hunger  for  the  Word  of  God  than  now;  65,000  Testa¬ 
ments  distributed,  altars  crowded  with  penitents.” 

Austria-Hungary :  “A  wounded  soldier  when  dis¬ 
charged  from  our  care  (Methodist  Hospital)  said  with 
tears  in  his  eyes:  T  have  found  more  than  healing  for 
my  wounds.  What  I  experienced  here  I  shall  never 
forget.  If  Methodists  are  such  people,  then  I  will 
become  a  Methodist,  if  God  brings  me  back  from  the 
front.’  The  war  is  creating  wonderful  opportunities 
for  immediate  and  extensive  evangelistic  work  in  all 
Southeastern  Europe.” 

Bulgaria :  “Following  a  stirring  revival  at  Varna  the 
Methodist  Church  in  that  city  has  been  taxed  far  be¬ 
yond  its  capacity.  At  some  of  the  meetings  thousands 
were  turned  away.”  (Dr.  Elmer  Count,  our  Apostle  to 
the  Balkans,  has  recently  returned  to  the  field.) 

Italy :  “Methodism  was  never  more  efficiently  active. 
About  Milan,  Naldi  has  organized  an  extensive  work  of 
visitation  in  the  hospitals.  At  Genoa,  Spini  is  doing  the 
same  and  supervising  a  dozen  different  branches  of 
relief  work.  In  the  large  industrial  center  of  Sestri, 
Ponente  Contino  is  the  leader  of  revival  and  relief 
work.  Ravazzini  is  with  the  Red  Cross  and  the  Prayer 
League  in  Turin.  Dr.  Lala  is  continuing  his  Bible  talks 
to  the  soldiers  at  Udine.  From  Rome  the  great  Chris¬ 
tian  weekly,  Evangelista ,  is  bearing  its  message  of  hope 
and  love  to  thousands  in  the  trenches.  Down  in  Cala¬ 
bria  a  mighty  revival  has  broken  out  under  the  preach¬ 
ing  of  Giuseppe  Scorza.” 

Finland :  “We  are  in  a  time  of  vigorous  self-exam¬ 
ination.  The  failure  of  modern  culture  and  social 
organization  has  driven  us  to  seek  deeper  and  more 
abiding  foundations.” 


23 


THE  NEGLECTED  CONTINENT 


"VITAR  conditions  opening  up  trade,  the  heart  cry  of 

*  ’  millions  of  Indians,  the  misery  of  the  downtrodden 
illiterates,  the  dissatisfaction  of  misled  formalists,  the 
rapid  drift  of  men  into  atheism,  these  are  some  of  the 
factors  which  constitute  a  spiritual  emergency  among 
the  Latin-American  races. 

We  deal  in  South  America  with  republics  of  varying 
types  which  in  natural  resources  are  favored  of  God. 
Cattle,  cereals,  minerals,  saltpeter,  coffee,  and  rubber 
abound. 

In  Argentina  is  the  finest  city  of  South  America, 
Buenos  Aires,  which  has  a  subway  more  magnificent 
than  the  one  in  New  York.  Among  its  1,700,000  people 
are  less  than  100  churches  and  temples  of  all  faiths. 
The  estimate  of  attendance  at  all  these  churches  on  a 
Sunday  morning  is  1,700. 

The  control  of  marriage  by  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church  and  the  use  of  this  control  as  a  source  of  in¬ 
come  have  resulted  in  the  failure  of  the  great  masses 
of  the  people  to  get  married.  Some  years  ago  in 
Barranquilla,  Colombia,  Father  Revallo  prepared  a  table 
of  vital  statistics  of  Barranquilla  for  fifteen  years  and 
published  it  in  one  of  the  secular  papers.  This  table 
showed  that  the  illegitimate  births  during  this  period 
were  71.4  per  cent  of  the  total  births. 

Bishop  Stuntz  reports  that  never  before  have  so 
many  converts  been  gathered  into  the  churches  as  dur¬ 
ing  the  past  few  months. 

A  delegation  of  seven  Peru  Indians  came  to  Lima  on 
government  matters.  A  much  respected  government  of¬ 
ficer  brought  them  to  our  Wednesday  evening  prayer 
meeting.  He  realized  that  what  the  Indians  most  needed 
was  the  Gospel.  The  whole  group  has  joined  our 
church  on  probation. 

In  Panama  where  there  are  450,000  people  and 
where  our  government  has  spent  $450,000,000  there  is 
but  one  missionary  speaking  the  language  of  the  people. 


24 


In  Ecuador  not  a  Protestant  Mission  Board  is  at 
work.  Six  independent  missionaries  are  the  only 
Protestant  representatives. 

In  the  northern  half  of  Peru  there  is  not  one  Pro¬ 
testant  missionary  among  4,000,000  people. 

In  Bolivia  there  are  less  than  100  members  of  evan¬ 
gelical  churches.  There  are  1,000,000  native  Indians 
untouched  by  the  Gospel. 

Ninety-eight  per  cent  of  the  50,000  students  of  this 
continent  are  agnostics. 

THE  LAND  OF  STRIFE 

OR  three  hundred  years  the  Mexicans  endured  op- 
pression.  For  about  a  hundred  years  they  have 
been  struggling  to  throw  it  off.  An  American  residing 
in  Mexico  City  says  that  the  reaction  against  Cath¬ 
olicism  is  very  marked.  In  Orizaba  all  but  four  of 
the  Roman  churches  are  closed.  In  Puebla  and  many 
other  places  all  the  confessionals  have  been  burned. 
In  Mexico  City  the  most  fashionable  Roman  church 
was  first  used  as  a  military  barracks  and  later  as  head¬ 
quarters  for  the  laboring  men. 

Ninety  per  cent  of  Mexican  people,  although  nomin¬ 
ally  Christian  for  four  hundred  years,  do  not  know 
the  difference  between  a  Bible  and  a  secular  book, 
the  circulation  of  the  Bible  being  forbidden  by  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church. 

In  the  state  of  Oaxaca  we  have  a  native  worker 
who  does  not  even  know  how  to  read,  but  Christ 
has  made  him  brave  enough  to  go  from  village  to  vil¬ 
lage  preaching.  His  method  is  to  seek  a  man  who 
can  read.  To  him  he  explains  that  he  has  a  wonder¬ 
ful  book.  He  asks  the  man  to  read.  Then  follows 
the  sermon.  In  this  unique  way  he  has  led  many  to 
Christ. 

Mexico  is  in  a  state  of  political  transition  and  as  it 
settles  down  to  peace  an  unrivalled  opportunity  will  be 
given  for  Protestant  work. 


25 


THE  ELDER  BROTHER  AS  A  TABLE 

GUEST 


Rev .  N.  L.  Rockey  of  India  tells  the  story . 


ii  \  ND  here  comes  another  collection !” 

The  missionary  at  Gonda  felt  rebellious.  The 
average  income  of  our  Indian  church  of  149  people 
was  just  a  fraction  less  than  four  and  one-quarter 
cents  a  day.  Out  of  this  meager  income  these  poor 
Christians  had  given  for  pastoral  support,  the  various 
benevolences  and  missionary  collections,  cutting  them¬ 
selves  to  the  very  quick  to  do  their  part.  Then  came 
the  emergency  call  from  our  Foreign  Board. 

I  had  not  the  heart  to  ask  them  for  another  cent. 

On  the  appointed  day  for  the  collection  as  the  native 
pastor  was  finishing  his  sermon  a  thought  came  to  me 
like  an  inspiration.  Arising,  I  told  them  of  the  situa¬ 
tion  and  how  I  had  hesitated  because  I  knew  they 
had  already  given  to  the  limit.  I  then  suggested  this 
plan. 

‘‘Suppose  your  beloved  elder  brother  should  desire  to 
visit  you  for  a  week.  Would  you  stop  to  count  the  cost 
of  the  food  and  hesitate  t/o  let  him  come  ?  I  know  you 
would  not.”  Their  nods  and  smiles  gave  assent. 

“Now  suppose  we  consider  that  Jesus,  our  Elder 
Brother,  has  come  into  every  home  to  be  a  table  guest 
for  this  week.  When  we  prepare  for  our  meals  let 
us  lay  aside  His  portion  for  Him.  Next  Saturday 
night  let  us  take  what  we  have  saved  for  Him  and  sell 
it  to  ourselves  at  honest  market  rates  and  bring  in  the 
money.” 

Their  evident  pleasure  at  the  proposition  showed  that 
it  had  won.  Next  Sunday  this  loving  people  came 
reverently,  and  joyfully  laid  on  the  table  almost  seven 
dollars  from  their  grinding  poverty.  Do  you  wonder 
that  I  was  compelled  to  pause  to  get  part  of  the  quiver 
out  of  my  voice  before  I  could  trust  myself  to  offer 
thanks  and  pronounce  the  benediction  ?  Do  you  wonder 
that  we  love  these  people  ? 


26 


THESE  ALSO  HAVE  SACRIFICED 


Yoitsu  Honda ,  first  Bishop  of  the  Japanese  Methodist 
Church,  turned  his  back  on  a  brilliant  political  career 
to  follow  the  Christ  in  a  life  of  extreme  self-denial,  but 
glorious  spiritual  achievement.  He  endured  poverty 
and  suffering  and  literally  wore  out  his  life  in  service. 

Masih  ka  Rasul  (Apostle  of  Christ),  when  graduating 
from  the  Theological  school,  had  in  his  pocket  an  offer 
of  a  government  position  at  a  salary  of  twenty-five 
dollars  a  month,  with  a  prospect  of  rising  to  two  hun¬ 
dred  or  even  three  hundred.  He  joyfully  chose  to 
enter  our  Indian  ministry  on  four  dollars  a  month. 
After  a  most  distinguished  career,  covering  forty 
years,  he  has  recently  died.  At  the  time  of  his  death 
he  was  District  Superintendent-  of  Budaun  District,  re¬ 
ceiving  a  smaller  salary  than  his  first  government  offer. 

rF'HESE  illustrations  could  be  multiplied  to  volumes 
and  paralleled  in  every  mission  field  and  in  the 
home  land.  Humble  Koreans  have  mortgaged  their 
homes  to  extend  the  Gospel.  Methodists  in  America 
have  done  the  same.  Korean  women,  hearts  quivering 
with  the  pain  of  the  sacrifice  and  faces  wet  with  tears, 
have  given  their  simple  ornaments  and  even  their 
wedding  rings.  Devoted  women  in  America  have  made 
the  same  sacrifices  for  Christ’s  sake  to  give  the  Gospel 
to  others.  There  is  a  fellowship  of  sacrifice. 

THE  whole  Church  is  challenged  as  never  before  to 
demonstrate  the  thesis  of  Professor  James  regard¬ 
ing  the  moral  equivalent  of  war — -something  which  will 
appeal  as  universally  to  the  heroic  in  man  as  war  does, 
but  without  the  resultant  evils  of  war.  That  substitute, 
he  declares,  is  heroic  self-denial  on  behalf  of  a  great 
cause. 

GOD  confronts  His  Church  with  a  stricken  world 
and  to  meet  its  unutterable  needs  calls  for  sac¬ 
rifice  worthy  of  the  Christ. 


27 


CHAPTER  III. 


SUGGESTIONS  FOR  LOCAL 

CHURCH 

PROGRAMS 

The  following  are  suggestions  only,  which  you  can 
use,  modify,  or  lay  aside  for  plans  better  adapted  to 
your  need. 

There  is  no  intention  to  interfere  in  any  way  with 
your  regular  services  or  collections,  but  only  to  help 
you  lead  your  people  to  put  into  the  period  preceding 
and  during  Passion  Week  a  depth  of  spirit  and  sincerity 
of  purpose  which  will  express  themselves  in  genuine 
self-sacrifice  for  Christ's  sake  on  behalf  of  a  suffering 
and  waiting  world. 

If  local  difficulties  are  in  the  way  they  should  be 
frankly  recognised  and  the  program  so  adjusted  as  to 
avoid  friction  and  secure  the  hearty  co-operation  of 
officials  and  members. 

APRIL  9 

Sunday  Morning  Service. 

A  sermon  on  some  such  theme  as  “New  World  Con¬ 
ditions.”  Exclusive  materials  for  this  are  printed  on 
pages  ten  to  twenty-seven. 

Follow  the  sermon  with  a  brief  statement  explanatory 
of  Passion  Week  Self-Denial.  In  this  connection  state 
that  on  Sunday  next,  April  16th,  Self-Denial  Envelopes 
will  be  distributed  and  that  these  will  be  collected  on 
Easter  Sunday. 

Call  the  ushers  to  the  altar  and  ask  God’s  blessing 
upon  the  plans.  Then  let  the  ushers  distribute  the 
copies  of  “Missionary  News”  throughout  the  congre¬ 
gation,  one  for  each  family. 

Sunday  School. 

There  should  be  a  preparatory  announcement  and 


28 


explanation  of  Passion  Week  Self-Denial  plans  and  of 
next  Sunday’s  distribution  of  envelopes. 

Epworth  League. 

The  Central  Office  will  probably  suggest  through  the 
Epworth  Herald  a  program  of  co-operation,  as  the  Sec¬ 
retary  and  Editor  are  deeply  interested  in  the  move¬ 
ment. 

Evening  Service. 

If  you  desire  to  pursue  the  theme,  a  sermon  on 
“ America’s  New  Place  in  the  World,”  stressing  the  im¬ 
perative  obligation  which  is  on  us  for  humility  and 
spirituality  that  we  may  faithfully  fulfill  our  high 
calling,  would  be  a  fitting  subject. 

Mid-Week  Service. 

Let  theme,  songs,  prayer  and  testimony  center  in  the 
plans  and  program  of  Self-Denial  Week. 

APRIL  16 

Sunday  Morning  Service. 

A  sermon  on  some  such  theme  as  “The  Sacrificial 
Life.”  This  is  the  week  in  which  we  commemorate 
Christ’s  passion  on  the  cross.  Today  we  begin  a  week 
of  special,  unflinching  self-denial  that  we  may  devote 
our  substance  more  largely  in  ministries  to  a  suffering 
world.  The  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  has  provided 
envelopes  in  which  we  may  place  the  money  which  we 
save  through  sacrifice  that  it  may  be  brought  here  amid 
the  joys  of  next  Sunday,  Easter  Sunday.  Call  attention 
to  “A  Message  to  You  from  Bishops  Bashford  and 
Warne”  which  will  be  found  in  each  envelope. 

When  the  ushers  have  been  called  to  the  front  to 
pass  the  envelopes,  while  they  are  at  the  altar,  an  ear¬ 
nest  prayer  should  be  offered  for  yet  closer  fellowship 
with  Christ  in  sacrifice  and  denial,  a  willingness  to 
forego  ease,  pleasure,  indulgence  and  even  comforts,  if 
need  be,  that  we  may  enter  with  Him  into  the  world’s 
tragedy  and  through  our  offering  of  ourselves  and  our 
substance  help  to  heal  the  world’s  hurt. 


29 


Sunday  School. 

•Make  similar  announcement  and  explanation  in  the 
Sunday  School,  suggesting  to  the  children  of  various 
ages  how  they  may  practice  self-denial — carfare,  pic¬ 
ture  shows,  confectionery,  etc.  Press  home  the  idea 
that  they  are  to  do  it  unflinchingly,  joyously,  for 
Christ’s  sake. 

Have  children  selected  in  advance  and  call  them  to 
the  front  for  distribution  of  envelopes.  While  standing 
there,  offer  earnest  prayer  for  divine  guidance  in  this 
week  of  heroic  sacrifice  that  we  may  be  good  soldiers  of 
Jesus  Christ  and  share  in  His  sufferings  on  behalf  of 
others  that  the  children  in  the  shadowed  lands  may 
receive  the  joy  of  His  presence  and  grace. 

Epworth  League. 

Follow  program  suggested  from  Headquarters 
through  the  Epworth  Herald. 

Evening  Service. 

If  you  wish  to  continue  the  thought  of  the  outreach 
of  the  Gospel  and  its  controlling  power  over  human 
lives,  discuss  some  such  theme  as  “The  Heroic  Element 
in  Christianity”  as  illustrated  from  the  sacrificial  lives 
of  the  great  modern  missionaries. 

Mid-Week  Service. 

We  are  close  to  the  anniversary  of  the  sacrifice  on 
the  cross.  Suggestive  theme :  “What  Our  Redemption 
Cost  Christ,”  “If  any  man  will  come  after  me,  let  him 
deny  himself,  take  up  his  cross  and  follow  me.” 

For  Churches  Observing  Passion  Week. 

Passion  Week  Self-Denial  makes  it  possible  for  you 
to  express  in  “living  sacrifice,”  through  self-denial  and 
self-dedication,  all  the  deep  emotions  and  high  purposes 
born  of  your  meditations  during  this  hallowed  week. 

APRIL  23 

Easter  Morning  Service. 

Sermon  on  some  such  theme  as  “What  the  Resurrec¬ 
tion  Life  Means  to  the  Non-Christian  World,”  “The 


30 


Power  of  His  Resurrection,”  “The  Larger  Joy  of 
Easter  Realized  Through  Fellowship  with  Christ  in 
Sacrifice,”  or  “The  Results  of  Sacrifice  Laid  at  the 
Feet  of  Our  Risen  Lord.” 

At  the  close  of  address  call  forward  the  ushers  and 
pray  for  God’s  blessing  upon  the  givers  and  their  gifts, 
that  their  sacrifices,  laid  at  Christ’s  sacred  feet,  may  be 
acceptable  to  Him  and  may  carry  to  the  multitudes 
across  the  seas  the  ministries  of  His  living  grace,  and 
that  our  lives  may  find  in  all  the  future  years  a  nobler 
expression  through  the  deeper  devotion  of  sacrifice. 

If,  because  of  conflicting  interests,  it  is  not  prac¬ 
ticable  to  take  the  self-denial  offering  separately,  let  it 
be  received  with  whatever  offering  has  been  planned. 
If  this  cannot  be  done  without  confusion,  the  offering 
might  be  deferred  a  week. 

Sunday  School. 

An  attractive  service  for  receiving  the  self-denial 
offering  could  be  arranged  by  constructing  a  floral  cross 
and  having  children  dressed  in  white  collect  the  en¬ 
velopes  and  bring  them  to  the  front.  An  earnest  prayer 
could  be  offered  expressing  joy  that  we  are  counted 
worthy  to  share  in  the  sufferings  of  Christ  on  behalf 
of  others.  Let  the  children  then  deposit  the  offerings 
at  the  foot  of  the  cross. 

Please  Notice:  This  is  no  part  of  the  Sunday  School 
Missionary  offering  and  must  not  be  reported  with  it, 
but  forwarded  with  the  church  self-denial  offering  to 
be  credited  as  explained  on  the  following  page. 

Epworth  League. 

The  Epworth  Herald  program  can  be  followed,  or, 
as  has  been  explained  regarding  all  these  suggestions, 
you  can  modify  or  lay  it  aside  for  plans  better  adapted 
to  your  needs. 

Mid-Week  Service. 

Devote  the  prayer-meeting  to  testimonies  narrating 
the  experiences  and  blessings  of  Passion  Week  Self- 
Denial. 


31 


PROMPT  FORWARDING  OF  OFFERING 

The  needs  are  pressing  and  insistent.  They  require 
prompt  relief  to  save  the  missionaries  from  breaking 
under  their  terrible  burdens.  You  will  double  the 
blessing  by  forwarding  your  offering  promptly  after 
Easter  to  George  M.  Fowles,  Treasurer,  150  Fifth  Ave¬ 
nue,  New  York  City.  Immediately  thereafter  report  on 
post  card  blank  to  your  District  Superintendent. 

CREDIT  WILL  BE  GIVEN  UNDER  “OTHER 

BENEVOLENCES” 

The  voucher  sent  you  cannot  apply  on  the  regular 
missionary  apportionment  nor  as  a  special  gift.  To 
credit  it  in  either  the  regular  or  special  gift  column 
would  create  confusion  and  lead  to  apparent  decrease 
next  year.  The  purpose  of  the  self-denial  week  would 
be  defeated  by  such  credit.  The  emergency  is  so  over¬ 
whelming  that  it  demands  a  sacrifice  offering  above 
and  beyond  the  regular  and  the  normal  special  gifts 
of  both  Church  and  Sunday  School — an  offering  which 
represents  actual  self-denial. 

Such  an  offering  should  not  be  a  substitute  for  the 
regular  offerings  nor  for  any  part  of  them.  If  it  re¬ 
sults  in  such  decrease,  disaster  will  follow.  It  ought 
to  increase  the  regular  offering  through  increased  in¬ 
terest  in  the  “New  World  Conditions.” 

“WORLD  EMERGENCY”  FOLDER 

We  are  ready  to  supply  you,  free  of  cost,  with  the 
beautiful  illustrated  folder,  “World  Emergency,”  one 
for  each  family  in  your  congregation.  If  you  have  lost 
the  order  blank,  address  a  postal  card  to 

Passion  Week  Self-Denial, 

150  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City. 

Give  plainly  your  name,  address  and  number  of  full 
members  in  your  church. 


32 


